CALLIMORPHA HERA IN SOUTH DEVON. 121 



On that date they were slightly under one-eighth of an inch 

 long, and, viewed with the naked eye, were almost exactly like 

 the young larvae of Arctia villica, except for the slightly ringed 

 appearance hereinafter mentioned ; in fact, I find that, with that 

 exception, I have in my note-book, describing the larvae of each 

 species independently, made use of practically the same words. 

 They were then — viz., at twelve to thirteen days old — of a greenish 

 greyish yellow, with darkish hairs, and they had a suggestion, 

 but no more, of being slightly ringed. They usually lay straight 

 out, but if touched at once rolled into a ball. I fed them at first 

 on dandelion leaves and borage ; but after about a week, finding 

 that they preferred dandelion, I supplied them with leaves of 

 that plant alone. 



On Oct. 10th they commenced to moult for the first time, 

 finishing about the 13th, and I lost one, which died during the 

 process. On Oct. 27th they commenced their second moult, 

 finishing about Oct. 30th. On the last-named date their length 

 was about three-sixteenths of an inch, and they were slightly 

 darker than before, the body being a dark greyish brown, with 

 what appeared to be a broad medio-dorsal band of bronzy yellow. 

 On Nov. 10th they commenced their third moult, and had all 

 finished by the 15tli except one, which remained very small. By 

 Nov. 22nd, however, this small one had fed up to the size of the 

 others, so I assume it must have moulted in the meantime, un- 

 noticed by me. On Nov. 15th their average length was rather 

 over a quarter of an inch ; sides dark brown, almost black, with a 

 bright coppery dorsal band, with two white spots on each segment. 

 The belly, prolegs and claspers were mouse-coloured, and they 

 were covered with dark bristly hairs. 



From this third moult until Dec. 3rd they did not seem to 

 move or feed, but appeared to be hybernating. On Dec. 3rd all 

 but two seemed to wake up, and recommenced to feed. By Dec. 

 15tb all but the two were about three-eighths of an inch long. 

 On Dec. 16th one of the small ones recommenced to feed, and on 

 Jan. 1st the remaining one did so. By Jan. 18th this last was 

 slightly larger than the others, which had apparently shrunk, 

 having had the appearance of hybernating for some little time. 

 On Jan. 20th, the frost having just broken up and the weather 

 being very mild, some of them recommenced feeding, and during 

 the night of Jan. 21-22 one moulted for the fourth time, and 

 by Feb. 6th they had all done so. During the night of Feb. 

 ll-12th one moulted for the fifth time, and up to Feb. 26th six 

 had done so. Those which had moulted were much lighter and 

 brighter than those which had not, and grew very rapidly, the 

 largest being then about three-quarters of an inch long. Behind 

 the white spots on each segment two fulvous brown blotches had 

 appeared, one above the other in a slanting direction. 



On March 1st the largest was just under one inch long, and 



